Saturday, May 15, 2010

We don't want protests to turn violent here. But we certainly need protests to oppose more bank bailouts and coming cuts in Social Security and Medicare and the destruction of remaining social programs.

You want to cut the budget deficit? Then cut military spending!!!! The Pentagon now spends more on the military than the rest of the world combined!

The oligarchy will step up their efforts to pit the people against each other like they are now doing in Arizona where they are turning the working class white population against the Hispanic population over the "immigration" issue.

Folks need to wake up and smell the coffee and realize they are being manipulated to take their eyes off the ball. The real "enemy" of the poor and the working class is the rich fat-cats who are rolling in the dough and pointing their fingers at you and me trying to get us to beat each other into submission while they enjoy the spectacle and rake in the cash.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The ruling Democratic Party, so afraid of its war in Afghanistan's rising unpopularity with the American people, has chosen to create a war funding supplemental bill that sugar coats the $33 billion more for the Central Asian quagmire in layers of hard to pass up frosting.

In the 2010 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the Obama administration named North Korea along with Iran as a potential target for nuclear preemptive attack, making the Korean peninsula, as it was during the Bush administration, one of the most dangerous regions in the world. This is a violation of the “Agreed Framework between the DPRK and the United States” (October 1994) in which the United States pledged negative security assurance for North Korea, as well as the “Joint Statement” of the fourth Six Party Talks (September 2005). In response to the Obama administration’s new NPR, North Korea declared, “As long as the nuclear threat against us persists, we will continue to develop various nuclear weapons as deterrence and seek to modernize our nuclear weapons.”

Based on the NPR, the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) takes command of U.S. nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula. Following “CONPLAN 8022” and “OPLAN 8044,” the US STRATCOM designed a new “OPLAN 8010” based on the “New Triad” concept. “OPLAN 8010” uses both high-tech conventional and nuclear war capabilities, including various strategic attacks against North Korea, such as pinpoint attack, bombing of underground military facilities, and cyber wars to paralyze missile and anti-aircraft defense networks. The US STRATCOM’s nuclear war plan on the Korean Peninsula also includes “CONPLAN 8099” in which the Center for Combating WMD takes command. The primary aim of “CONPLAN 8099” is to occupy North Korean nuclear facilities and seize its nuclear weapons. The Center for Combating WMD is the command that leads the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) against North Korea.

The United States also has plans to carry out a war on the Korean Peninsula by executing “OPLAN 5027,” 5026, 5028, 5029, 5030, which are all under the command of the US Pacific Command, the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United Nations Command (UNC). “OPLAN 5027” was developed in 1974 to prepare for nuclear war and “OPLAN 5027-98” adopted the strategy of preemptive strike for the first time. “OPLAN 5027-04” includes the construction of Missile Defense and “OPLAN 5027-06” outlines the strategy of preemptive strike against North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities.

In anticipation of the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea, the two states are currently developing “OPLAN 5012” in place of “OPLAN 5027.” “OPLAN 5012” is a much more offensive plan for nuclear war. “CONPLAN 5029,” which faced opposition from the former Korean government, has now been elevated to an OPLAN. “OPLAN 5029” envisions a military intervention in North Korea in times of internal turmoil, including a natural disaster; such an outrageous plan is in violation of international law. The main goal of “OPLAN 5029” lies in the U.S. desire to seize North Korea’s nuclear facilities and materials for itself, as opposed to by South Korea. “OPLAN 5026” was initiated in December 2002 and completed in July 2003. Its main goal is to execute pinpoint attacks on approximately 700 North Korean targets including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons facilities, and command and control facilities. In this way, “OPLAN 5026” and “OPLAN 5029” under the command of the US Pacific Command and the Combined Forces Command, are designed to complement “OPLAN 8010” of the US STRATCOM.

The US MD in Northeast Asia

1) The US MD system in the Pacific Ocean

The MD system that the United States deploys in the Pacific Ocean is aimed at China’s MD and North Korea’s missile system. The Early Warning Radar system which includes the DSP satellite, SBIRS satellite, Cobra Dane Early Warning Radar, SBX (Sea-based X-band) Radar, Aegis BMD Radar, FBX, etc, centers on detecting and tracking long-range missiles or ICBMs aimed at the main land of the United States. In June 2009, to prepare for the event of a long range missile launch from North Korea, the United States ordered the forward deployment of the SBX Radar and the THAAD (Theater High Altitude Air Defense) system in the vicinity of Hawaii. The US Pacific Command also ordered the forward deployment of the Aegis ship, equipped with Standard Missile 3 (SM-3).

2) Japan’s MD system

The United States regards Japan as its most significant international BMD partner. Japan’s MD system is part of the US MD system. Japan’s MD system is being constructed through technical and operative cooperation with the United States. Japan has deployed the US FBX(Forward-based X band) Radar, and has interfaced its 28 ground radar networks with U.S. spy satellites. The principal weapons systems of Japan’s MD are the Aegis BMD system and the PAC-3 system. In January 2008, Japan operationally deployed SM-3 block IA, capable of intercepting long-range missiles. Currently Japan is developing SM-3 block IIA, capable of intercepting ICBMs, and scheduled to debut in 2015. Reversing its previous policy of non-deployment of THAAD, Japan intends to introduce THAAD as a higher tier defense system than a PAC-3. Japan has also deployed its self-developed FPS-XX (L Band) Radar. The FPS-XX Radar is known to have succeeded in detecting and tracking Russian long-range missiles launched from the Sea of Okhotsk.

3) South Korea’s MD system

In its 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR), the United States named South Korea an “important partner.” The BMDR also stated that the United States has been working together with South Korea to “define possible future BMD requirements.” In other words, the United States takes for granted South Korea’s participation in the US MD system. Although the Lee Myung Bak government initially refused to participate in the US MD system, now it has changed its position. This reverses the position maintained by the former Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun administrations, which opposed South Korea’s participation in the US MD system for reasons related to South Korea’s technical, financial, and diplomatic relations with Russia and China. The current South Korean government is in the midst of constructing the so-called “South Korean-style MD System” based on PAC-2 Lower Tier Defense and the SM-2 Aegis system.

Further, the South Korean government plans to upgrade PAC-2 to the level of PAC-3 and SM-2 to SM-6, construct K-THAAD by improving Cheolmae-2, construct Early Warning System by importing Green Pine Block-B (whose detection range is 500 km) and AWACS, construct AMD Cell, and thus complete the construction of the so-called South Korean-style MD system. But it is evident that the South Korean-style MD system will be incorporated into and subordinate under the US MD system.

With the planned transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea, South Korea and the United States plan to interface both of their Armed Force’s C4I through the “Allied Korea Joint Command Control System (AKJCCS)” and integrate and operate both ROK and US Armed Force’s Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Cell. This means that the US MD system and its operations will be at the center of the MD system on the Korean Peninsula.

Through the interface of both ROK and U.S. Armed Forces’ C4I, USAFK’s Theater Missile Defense Warning System (TMDWS) will provide the ROK MD system with a range of information, such as TMD’s launching position, launched missile, track, estimated drop area, drop time, etc., which is essential to the operation of the ROK MD. The Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) of the USFK provides accurate data about DPRK’s ICBMs.

That both South Korea and the United States incorporate and operate Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Cell means that the ROK MD will interface with the US 14th Air Force’s Joint Space Operation Center (JSPOC). In lieu of US STRACOM, the US 14th Air Force will plan and execute the US Air Force’s space operations. In such a scenario, the South Korean MD’s interface with the US 14th Air Force’s JSPOC means that it will be fully subordinate to the US MD system (DSP, SBIRS, Early Warning Radar, etc). In other words, the South Korean MD will become nothing but one part of the US MD.

For instance, if the South Korean MD intends to defend against an intermediate-range missile from China or Russia, it will need to depend on the US MD system, especially for its early warning system.

US MD in Northeast Asia Increases the Possibility of Nuclear War in Northeast Asia

Part of the New Triad axis, MD is a means of preemptive nuclear strike. The United States sees MD as part of its extended deterrence. China is the only nation among the nuclear weapons states that has officially declared adoption of NSA and No First Use (NFU) policies. Due to its concern regarding the US construction of MD, China opposes the start of the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). If the United States strengthens its MD in the Northeast Asian region in order to debilitate China’s nuclear capability, it may encourage China to abandon its NSA and NFU policies and engage in a nuclear arms race.

North Korea has declared that it is willing to give up its nuclear programs and facilities, and even its nuclear weapons. North Korea takes a fundamentally different position from that of other nuclear weapons states. If the preconditions that North Korea outlined are met– namely a Peace Treaty, and the abolishment of the ROK-US alliance and the US nuclear umbrella in South Korea - North Korea’s nuclear weapons can be abolished. But if the US’ MD, with its doctrine of preemptive strike, is aimed at incapacitating North Korea’s missile capability, North Korea will turn to increase its reliance on nuclear weapons, resulting in North Korea’s continued strengthening of its nuclear power and eventually leading to a domino phenomenon of more states going nuclear in Northeast Asia.

The U.S. construction of MD increases the possibility of nuclear first strike and all-out nuclear war and radically shatters international security and prosperity. Let us not forget that the Northeast Asian region includes Japan, which the United States attacked with nuclear weapons not too long ago, North Korea, the Taiwan Strait, and Vietnam, which in the past the United States threatened with nuclear attack. It is only when the US MD system is abolished that we can prevent this world from nuclear preemptive strikes and nuclear war, and the Pacific Ocean can become true to its name.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Obama's real job as president is to do what Bush could never get away with - cut the "entitlement programs" which are officially defined as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and what is left of the welfare program after Bill Clinton got through with it.

Some years ago the industry publication Space News ran an editorial saying they realized they have to come up with a "dedicated funding source" for the expensive space technology programs. And they have they said. They reported they were sending their lobbyists to Washington DC to secure the "entitlement programs."

Obama was made president to lead the destruction of social progress in America. The oligarchy knew that Obama would be able to quiet the left, keep them under wraps, while he dismantled the key social programs that matter most.

Those "liberals" out there who told us to be patient, that Obama had a secret plan, were right. He has a secret plan to destroy the gains of the poor and the middle class. Obama's plan, as the first black president, is to help the oligarchy return us to the days of feudalism.

The past year, 2009, represented a change of course for the Global Network (GN). The bulk of my travel for organizing and speaking for the first time ever was more focused outside of the U.S.

The past year could be characterized in the U.S. as one of waiting. Waiting for Obama to negotiate his nuclear weapons treaty with Russia. Waiting for an Obama space policy to develop. Waiting for the peace movement, and progressive movement in general, to begin to respond to Obama.

The fact that I spoke in fewer states in the U.S. in 2009 than at any other time since 1998 is a clear indication that the peace movement across the country has in many respects ground to a slow crawl. Thus rather than wait for Godot to come, I shifted gears and increased my organizing activity in my home state of Maine, where there was a receptive audience, and made more international trips than ever before.

The year began with my participation in helping to organize the national No Bases Conference that was held in Washington DC in February. There Tim Rinne and I held a space issues workshop and made links with key organizers from around the world who attended the event.

Also during early 2009 I was regularly meeting with Maine activists to organize a town hall meeting on the Afghanistan war in hopes to kick-start more organizing in our state and beyond. We held the successful event in April and it then led us in late 2009 to come together again to begin pulling together a statewide coalition called the Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home. This effort, essentially staffed by the GN, has created a vibrant campaign across our state that has drawn attention and interest nationally. A good side benefit of this campaign has been to increase the exposure of the GN in our state and increase our membership base throughout Maine, which has been steadily growing.

Our 2009 annual space organizing conference was held in Seoul, South Korea in April and very ably coordinated by two of our board members Sung-Hee Choi and Wooksik Cheong. They both were instrumental in putting together a Korean Organizing Committee, comprised of 10 groups; they collectively did a wonderful job of hosting the large international delegation that came from about 25 countries. They arranged several trips for us to meet people who were struggling against U.S. military base expansion and we visited the DMZ as well.

In July and August I returned to Asia for a month long trip to Japan and South Korea. The trip happened because Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba from Hiroshima invited me to be the keynote speaker at the International Symposium for Peace that his city hosted on August 1 and then again on August 8 in Nagasaki at the General Conference of Mayors for Peace that he chairs. (I was to later learn that Mayor Akiba had watched our Arsenal of Hypocrisy video and agreed that it was time to bring the space issue to his organizations.)

Using this opportunity our GN Japanese board members (Atsushi Fujioka, Makiko Sato, Koji Sugihara, and Hibiki Yamaguchi) set out to organize a six-city speaking tour for me that would last for three weeks across their country. From there I traveled to Seoul, South Korea where again GN board members (Wooksik Cheong and Sung-Hee Choi) prepared a busy weeklong schedule for me.

(Just as I was writing this report I got a message from Atsushi Fujioka that he had translated my speech from the Mayors for Peace conference in Nagasaki and that it was going to be published in Sekai magazine, a leading progressive publication in Japan.)

In Brunswick, Maine the Naval air station is slated for closure in 2011 and some state politicians and aerospace industry representatives have been pushing the idea of using the base airfield for a drone flight test center. Since drone warfare was the theme of the GN’s Keep Space for Peace Week in 2009 I helped organize a series of events in our area to create public opposition to this bad idea. It appears that our efforts have helped to hold off any further plans for the drone test center at this time but we are keeping our eyes on the ball.

In October, during our annual space week, I went back to South Korea for a third time and did a three-week speaking tour throughout the country. Once again Sung-Hee Choi organized a hectic and impressive schedule for me. The trip culminated in a two-day visit to Jeju Island where I met with the struggling villagers of Gangjeong who are fighting hard to save their community from a Navy base that would host Aegis destroyers that would be outfitted with “missile defense” systems and be used to help surround China’s coast.

As a result of that trip I have followed through on my promise to the villagers of Gangjeong and done everything I could to promote their efforts nationally and internationally by organizing people to voice their support for them by signing petitions and contacting the South Korean embassy in their country. It was during these calls to the South Korean embassy in Washington DC that several GN supporters were told that it was the U.S. that is pushing the Navy base onto the South Korean government. This was the first time this serious accusation had ever been reported. Efforts have since been made to get those statements reported by South Korean media.

In recent weeks GN board member Sung-Hee Choi has been living in the village and continuing to report on the Navy plans to build the base despite growing island opposition. She has done an excellent job of helping to expand international consciousness about the base and the missile defense program planned for there.

Our list of local actions during Keep Space for Peace Week in 2009 was down to about 50 events in our usual dozen countries. Particularly in the U.S., the Obama factor of demobilizing the peace movement was evident in the lower than normal list of actions.

Soon after returning from South Korea in October I made my way west to Oregon for a talk in Hood River, which is in the center of a huge fight over the manufacturing of drones by Boeing. The use of UAV’s has dramatically surged as the Obama administration is using them in record numbers in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Throughout the year our board member MacGregor Eddy in California continued her Herculean efforts to keep protest vigils going at Vandenberg AFB during launches of military satellites and missile tests. Facing severe treatment and arrests from the base security these protests have helped to reveal to people around the world the tremendous hypocrisy of the U.S. as we lecture certain countries about the evils of nuclear weapons and continue to develop our own new technologies via space.

As has been the case in the past year I continue to do many radio interviews on stations throughout the country. Several times a month I get contacted by alternative media sources, that I keep posted about our work via email, for interviews. This helps keep a steady stream of traffic visiting our web site.

I have increased the use of my blog as I now find that more than 200 people a day are reading it. The blog serves as sort of a public organizing journal where I can log the many stories about my day-to-day work as well as share important stories about other issues that I am following. I have also become a heavy user of My Space and Facebook and find them to be valuable tools to help spread word about our GN work.

During the latter part of 2009 we saw the public negotiations that took place between the Obama administration and Russia over a new nuclear weapons reduction treaty. Throughout this process Russia made the case that NATO expansion eastward, and U.S. missile defense deployments into its neighborhood would make it difficult to agree upon any treaty.

During 2009 Obama had made the announcement that his Pentagon would be deploying Patriot (PAC-3) missile defense systems into Poland, just 35 miles from the Russian border. In addition his administration made public their plans to increase deployments of Aegis destroyers (outfitted with SM-3 missile defense interceptors) in the Baltic Sea and since this variety of “missile defense” systems were having success in the testing program they would be put on ground-based mobile launchers and also be deployed in areas surrounding Russia.

Try as Russia did, they were not successful in getting Obama to link missile defense deployments to the nuclear arms reduction treaty that was signed by the two countries on April 8, 2010 in Prague. But since we have learned that Russia has stipulated that if the U.S. expands missile defense deployments beyond current locations they reserve the right to walk away from the treaty. Thus the U.S. desire to saturate NATO bases throughout Eastern Europe with missile defense systems is still likely to be problematic.

I am at Penn Station in New York City waiting for my train back north. I will get off in Southern Maine and stay the night with Herb Hoffman who will then drive us both to Boston on Tuesday morning for an exciting meeting of key leaders from many progressive movements in the greater Boston area. The idea of the meeting will be to explore how we might build more unified movements during this time of corporate domination of U.S. and global politics.

Right now though I want to post a few notes from the two meetings I attended during this past weekend here in NYC.

On Saturday I went to the Abolition 2000 annual general meeting. Nearly 100 people were there from around the world. These folks are attending the UN''s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) meetings that will last nearly the entire month of May.

There are serious questions about what the NPT meetings will come up with. The nuclear powers (led by the U.S.) want to hang onto their nuclear weapons but don't want countries like North Korea or Iran to have them. This brand of double-standard does not create the climate for serious negotiations. At the same time the U.S. is pushing the use of nuclear power for energy production to countries like India who are also building more nuclear weapons - with U.S. help.

During this meeting I was given five minutes to update folks on the work of the Global Network and I made the case that as long as the U.S. is pushing so-called "missile defense," and new Prompt Global Strike weapons, then countries like Russia and China (and others) are not likely to be willing to dramatically reduce their nuclear forces.

The Abolition 2000 (A2000) network is very diverse with many different agendas and strategies represented. But fundamentally everyone wants to get rid of nuclear weapons. My observation though is that despite their great work to bring about nuclear disarmament, many A2000 groups are so fixed on their deep concern about nukes that they are not able to recognize the wider forces that are having direct impact on their hopes for abolition. Without these key linkages - to "missile offense" and new space technologies - then their work will be severely hampered.

One issue that came up (and one that I need to write more about here) is the competition between Russia and the U.S. (and its NATO allies) over control of the Arctic region as global warming makes it possible to explore that region for oil. A call was made at the A2000 meeting for a nuclear-free Arctic campaign.

On Sunday we had the annual membership meeting of the Global Network at the Church Center which is just across the street from the U.N. About 50 people attended throughout the day.

We spent considerable time talking about the theme for our 2010 Keep Space for Peace Week (October 2-9). Last year's theme (and poster) was on the use of drones and people felt it was a great success in communicating the links between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) and the larger space technology issue. We came up with a good list of possible ideas for the 2010 theme that included:

Obama's new "missile offense" deployment plan of Patriot (PAC-3) and Aegis destroyer based (SM-3) interceptors in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and South Korea that are being used to surround Russia and China.

NATO expansion into a global military offensive alliance under U.S. control

Prompt Global Strike systems (to give the U.S. the ability to hit targets on the other side of the world in first-strike attack in less than one hour.)

No U.S. bases worldwide

Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) Treaty at the U.N.

Alternatives to endless war (conversion of the military industrial complex) and creation of green jobs by cutting military spending.

Global warming

This was a great brainstorming session and the list above is all important and timely. It was ultimately decided that we would center our space week theme around the first item of U.S. "missile offense" deployments to surround Russia and China. The other items will be extensively featured in our next newsletter and in on-going work of the Global Network.

We had a partial showing of the new documentary film Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space. You can see the film's web site here The filmmaker, Denis Delestrac, came from Barcelona, Spain to be with us for the meeting and answered the many questions about the film and the distribution plan.

Pax Americana is now showing throughout Europe (already seen by 3 million people) and Canada. But sadly Delestrac has yet to be able to get the film into any film festivals in the U.S. (even though it won Best Documentary award at a festival in Vancouver) nor has he been able to find a U.S. theatre distribution deal.

We talked extensively about using the film during our October 2-9 Keep Space for Peace Week and Delestrac promised to find a way to have it available for us in DVD form by then. His problem is that it cost him one million dollars to make this fine film and he must first try to recoup some of those funds through theatrical showings. People loved the film (they wanted to see the whole thing but time did not allow it) and they loved Delestrac as well.

Other important items for discussion at the meeting included:

U.S. efforts to draw India into the space warfare program as a way to further encircle China.

Pentagon efforts to expand the use of 'cyber warfare" to gain space domination and control.

Beginning to talk about a "moratorium" on science as they are now out of control and the people of the world cannot keep up with new technological developments in areas like nano-technology and robotics.

U.S. militarization of the Asian-Pacific region, particularly the deployments of "missile offense" in South Korea and Japan and expansion of U.S. bases in that region.

Obama's recent announcement of Mars missions that will use nuclear power. (Journalist Karl Grossman was at the meeting and reminded us that NASA is also calling for nuclear power to be used in "near Earth commercial missions.")

The Global Network will hold its 18th annual space organizing conference in Nagpur, India on October 9-12. Many of our key leaders will be attending as we recognize the urgency to expand organizing on the Indian continent if we hope to stop the U.S. effort to spread a new space arms race to that part of the world. Please let us know if you are interested in joining with us in India.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Portland, Maine City Council recently voted 7-1 on a resolution addressed to Congress demanding they Bring Our War $$ Home.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has found that the war in Afghanistan is once again opposed by a majority of Americans. Fifty-two percent of respondents said the war is not worth fighting, which means the bump in support for the war that followed Obama's announcing his new Afghanistan strategy in December has disappeared.

Congress will soon vote on another war supplemental in the amount of $33 billion. Now is the time to contact your representative in the House of Representatives and say NO more war funding. Bring Our War $$ Home.

Call your member of Congress at 202-225-3121

The peace movement needs to show that it is not in the pocket of the Democratic Party by speaking out loudly against this new war supplemental.